Washing-machine



T N E G R A S T h 0 m WASHING MACHINE.

Patenfed Aug. 1, 1882.

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JAMES T. SARGENT, OF CLEVELAND, OHIO.

WASHING-MACHINE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 262,130, dated August 1, 1882.

Application filed March 23, 1882. (Model) To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1. JAMES T. SARGENT, of Cleveland, county of Cuyahoga, State of Ohio, have invented or discovered a new and useful Improvement in Wash-Boards; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, conrise, and exact description thereof, reference being had totheaccompanyingdrawings, making a part of this specification, in which-like letters indicating like arts- Figure 1 is a view in perspective of certain detached portions of a wash-board, but with one end of the protector broken away, the better to illustrate features of description and operation hereinafter described; and Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the board to arednced scale, but with the lower end broken away; and Fig. 3 is a detached sectional view through one of the side bars and the end of the headpiece in the plane of its fastening; and Fig. 4 is an inside face view of the upper end of one of the side bars with the head or cap piece and cross-bar sectioned, and showing an oblique arrangement of grooves for the reception of the brand -board.

My invention relates more particularly to certain improvements in what are commonly known as double-faced wash boards, by which I mean a wash-board having two rubbing-faces on opposite sides of the board but certain features of it may also be employed on wash-boards having but a single rubbing-face, as will hereinafter bemore fully set forth.

()n single-face wash-boards protectors have been used'for the purpose of protecting the garments of the operator as against splashing of. water; and my invention has for its object the adaptation of a suitable protector to the requirements of the double-face board; and this I accomplish by making what is sometimes called the brand-board reversible, so that, the brand-board and protector being reversed in position, either rubbing-face may be used at pleasure; and in adapting these fea tures ofimprovement to such boards I have also made other improvements as regards the fastening devices, removable head-piece, 850., which 'will be fully explained.

In Fig.2the rubbing-faces on a double-faced wash board are represented at A and A. These rubbing-faces may be of any known or suitable construction. The supporting-back A may be inserted between them,'and their lateral edges are supported in the usual way by side bars, B B, which bars extend at their upper ends to about the usual distancc,where they are connected by the head-piece D. The usual cross-bar, H, is inserted at the upper ends of the rubbing-faces.

'Ihe "brand-board a, so called partly because the manut'actnrers brand is usually placed thereon, which usually constitutes the back of the upper part from above the crossbar H, as in the presentinvention, is made reversible, and to that end its lateral edges a are properly shaped and slide readilyin grooves 00, made on the inner faces of the side bars, B B. These grooves extend down the side bars a suitable distance, and are made in such relationship to the other parts of the board that when the brand-board a is inserted in either of the upright grooves its lower end, a, will extend at least down to, or preferably a little below, the upper edge of the cross-bar H, and also will leave a small opening, a between the lower end of the brand-board and the cross-bar H. As a result of this feature of construction, provision is made for the drainage of water from above the cross-bar H as well as for a soap-receptacle thereon, and also water is prevented from splashing over between the bra nd-board a and the cross bar H, so that the garments of the operator are properly protected. The brand-board a is by preference securely fastened to the head-piece D,

and this head-piece at each end is connected with the upright ends of the side bars, B B, by removable fastening of any suitable construction, such that the head-piece may at pleasure be removable; and this is done by loosening such fastening, taking out the headpiece D, and withdrawing the brand-board a, turning and reversing that in position, and sliding-the brand part a down the other pair of grooves in the bars B B, after which the fasteuings may be replaced and the washboard will be in condition for use on the opposite face.

In illustration of my improvement I have added the form of protector shown and described in Patent No. 223,338, of January 6,

1880, except that as to its connection with the side bars, B B.

As one suitable form of fastening for con-4 necting the head-pieceD with the side bars of the frame, I have shown a perforated tcnon, e, on each side bar, which enters a mortise, e, on the ends of cross-piece D, so that pins 8,

passing through suitable holes, as shown, will fasten them together in position; but these pins, if made free to come out, are liable to be lost. Hence I attach them permanently to the head-piece I) by making each one with a flattened side, 5, but leaving the heads or ends of full diameter, and then insert a nail or pin, 8 through the end, say, of the head-piece D, so that such pin or nail shall lie against the flattened side of pin 8, and as the latter is removed may come against the lip or shoulder a (see Fig. 3) and prevent the entire removal of pin 8. Hence it will be seen that the pin 8 may be so far removed as to permit the headpiece D, with the brand board a attached thereto, to be removed and reversed, as above described, and still leave the pin in proper position to be again inserted as soon as the removable devices above referred to are replaced.

Grooves n may be made on the inner faces ofside bars, B B, in which a hearing, at, of the protector may slide and be seated.

As regards the protector (I, I do not limit myself in my present invention to this, as any other form or construction of protectors capable of attachment to the head-piece D or to a brand-board so as to be reversible therewith may be substituted therefor, and all protectors having the mechanical features above described are included herein as the mechanical equivalents of the protector d; and while I have shown one suitable construction of fastening device by which to secure the head-piece D to the side bars of the board, and also permit reversing, as set forth, I do not limit myself in this respect, since other known fastening devices which give a like capacity of removal and reversal and replacement may be substituted for those shownas, for example, a spring-catch may be substituted or a hook and staple or one end of head-piece I) may be pivoted or hung to one side bar and the removable fastei'iing be added to the other bar; but in such latter ca e the brand-board a will not be secured to the head-piece D, but will be made separate from it. In such case the head-piece D will be unfastened at one end and thrown out of position, and the brandboa'rd a drawn out of its grooves, and the headpiece refastened.

It is not essential that the grooves c c be made, as shown, parallel with each other and wholly outside the planes of the rubbing-faces. \Vhile the lower ends of such grooves should come outside the crossbar 11, they may converge, and, in fact, come together at their upperends,asillustratcd in Fig.4; butin such case the brand-board will not ordinarily be rigidly attached to the head-piece D, but may be made separate, or the two may be connected together by a hinged joint.

I am aware that it is not new to arrange a brand-board in a wash-board frame so that it may swing (without removal) from one to another of two positions of use; nor is it new to connect a protector and back board rigidly together angularly to each other, so that what is a back board to one rubbing-face will be a protector to the other. Such constructions, as shown in existing patents, are hereby disclaimed; but I am not aware of any previous construction in which the brand-board and protector, or either of them, were removable and reversible, or reversible by any construction which involved removability, and such feature. of construction I believe to have important advantages.

In the preferred form or construction the grooves c 0 will be arranged in parallel pairsone pair, as shown, in the plane, approximately in, or a little above or outside of, the plane of one rubbing-surface and the other pair in like position as regards the other rubbing-face; but this is not absolutely essential; nor is it essential as regards some of the elements of advantage that the lower ends of the grooves c 0 be made outside the plane of the rubbing-surfaces or outside the cross-bar H, since, if a deep soap-receptacle is not desired, the lower ends of the grooves maybe in any desired planes outside a plane passing at or about midway between the rubbing-surfaces.

I claim herein as my invention- 1. In a wash board frame, two pairs of grooves, one pair lying wholly or chiefly on one side of a plane passing at or about midway between the rubbing-faces of the board, and the other pair being in like position as regards the same plane, but on the other side thereof, in combination with a reversible sliding brand-board capable of being removed at pleasure from either pair of grooves and inserted in the other pair, substantially as set forth.

2. In a doublefaced wash1board, a removable and reversible brand-board, a, adapted to he set, by suitable grooves, in a separate position as regards the opposite rubbing-faces of the wash-board,and in either such position extend a little below the upper back edge of the cross-bar H and a little distance from it, substantially as set forth.

3. In a double-faeed wash-board, the combination of a removable head-piece, a. reversible brand-board, and two pairs of grooves in the inner faces of the side bars, whereby to adapt the position of the brand-board for use with the opposite rubbing-faces of the washboard, substantially as set forth.

4. In a double-faced wash-board, a removable head-picce and a reversible protector, combined substantially as set forth, whereby the protector shall be reversed or reversible by or on the removal of the head-piece.

5. In combination with a wash-board, a removable head-piece, areversible protector, and a reversible brand-board, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand.

Witnesses: JAMES T. SARGIJN'I.

J. M. GORHAM, E. J. LATIMER.

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